US20120327159A1 - Liquid jetting apparatus - Google Patents
Liquid jetting apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20120327159A1 US20120327159A1 US13/424,434 US201213424434A US2012327159A1 US 20120327159 A1 US20120327159 A1 US 20120327159A1 US 201213424434 A US201213424434 A US 201213424434A US 2012327159 A1 US2012327159 A1 US 2012327159A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- wiper
- impact
- liquid jetting
- liquid
- stopper
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/165—Preventing or detecting of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
- B41J2/16517—Cleaning of print head nozzles
- B41J2/16535—Cleaning of print head nozzles using wiping constructions
- B41J2/16544—Constructions for the positioning of wipers
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/165—Preventing or detecting of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
- B41J2/16517—Cleaning of print head nozzles
- B41J2/16535—Cleaning of print head nozzles using wiping constructions
- B41J2/16538—Cleaning of print head nozzles using wiping constructions with brushes or wiper blades perpendicular to the nozzle plate
Abstract
There is provided a liquid jetting apparatus including: a liquid jetting head which has a liquid jetting surface on which a plurality of nozzles are open to jet the liquid; a wiper which moves, relative to the liquid jetting surface, in a wiping direction along the liquid jetting surface, while being brought in contact with the liquid jetting surface, to wipe the liquid adhered on the liquid jetting surface; a wiper moving mechanism which moves the wiper in a direction orthogonal to the liquid jetting surface to approach to or separate from the ink jetting surface; a stopper which makes contact with the wiper which is separated from the ink jetting surface; and an impact-absorbing member which is formed in the wiper or the stopper and absorbs impact generated in a case that the wiper collides with the stopper.
Description
- The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-141461, filed on Jun. 27, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a liquid jetting apparatus which jets liquid.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- There has been known a liquid jetting apparatus which includes a liquid droplet jetting head having a liquid jetting surface on which a plurality of nozzles are open to jet the liquid and a wiper which wipes the liquid adhered on the liquid jetting surface.
- For example, as the liquid jetting apparatus having the wiper described above, Japanese Patent No. 4131046 discloses a printer which jets ink on a printing paper sheet from nozzles of a printing head to record an image etc. (see
FIG. 11 in Japanese Patent No. 4131046). In this printer, the wiper is held by a wiper holder. The wiper holder is moved upwardly and downwardly in a direction perpendicular to the ink jetting surface on which the nozzles of the printing head are open to move the wiper between a wiping position at which the wiper is brought in contact with the ink jetting surface and a waiting position at which the wiper and the ink-jetting surface are in a separated state. - In particular, the wiper holder which holds the wiper is urged by a spring in a direction in which the wiper is separated from the ink jetting surface. The wiper holder is pushed and moved upwardly by a guide. Then, an engaging claw formed on the wiper holder is fitted into (engaged with) an engagement-receiving portion formed on a base provided in a printer main body. Accordingly, the wiper holder is engaged at the wiping position, at which the wiper holder is moved upwardly against the biasing force of the spring. When the engagement of the engaging claw with the engagement-receiving portion is released, the wiper holder is moved downwardly by the biasing force of the spring and is brought in contact with a stopper formed in the base at the lower surface thereof. Accordingly, the wiper holder is placed at the waiting position.
- In general, the wiper holder which holds the wiper and/or the base which includes the stopper is/are formed of, for example a synthetic resin, to have a high strength in order to maintain shape(s), posture(s), etc., of the wiper holder and/or the stopper. However, in a case that the wiper holder and/or the stopper is/are formed to have the high strength and that the wiper is separated from the liquid jetting surface immediately after the wiping to hit the wiper holder against the stopper, any impact or shock generates to vibrate the wiper due to, for example, the biasing force of the spring, like the wiper described above, or a fall of the wiper by the self-weight. When the impact described above generates to vibrate the wiper having the liquid adhered at the time of the wiping of the liquid jetting surface, the liquid adhered on the wiper is scattered to the surroundings.
- In view of the above, an object of the present teaching is to provide a liquid jetting apparatus which prevents the liquid adhered on the wiper from being scattered to the surroundings when the wiper separated from the liquid jetting surface makes contact with the stopper.
- According to an aspect of the present teaching, there is provided a liquid jetting apparatus which jets liquid, including:
- a liquid jetting head which has a liquid jetting surface on which a plurality of nozzles are open to jet the liquid;
- a wiper which moves, relative to the liquid jetting surface, in a wiping direction along the liquid jetting surface, while being brought in contact with the liquid jetting surface, to wipe the liquid adhered on the liquid jetting surface;
- a wiper moving mechanism which moves the wiper in a direction orthogonal to the liquid jetting surface to approach to or separate from the ink jetting surface;
- a stopper which makes contact with the wiper which is separated from the ink-jetting surface; and
- an impact-absorbing member which is formed in the wiper or the stopper to absorb an impact generated by a collision between the wiper and the stopper.
- According to the liquid jetting apparatus of the present teaching, the impact, which is generated when the wiper which wiped the liquid jetting surface is separated from the liquid jetting surface to make contact with the stopper, is absorbed into the impact-absorbing member. Thus, it is possible to suppress vibration of the wiper generated when the wiper contacts with the stopper. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the liquid adhered on the wiper from being scattered to the surroundings when the wiper separated from the liquid jetting surface is brought in contact with the stopper.
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FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a construction of an ink jet printer according to this embodiment. -
FIG. 2 is a view taken along line II-II inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 shows a wiper as viewed in a scanning direction. -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV inFIG. 3 . -
FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion in the vicinity of an impact-absorbing portion of the wiper. -
FIGS. 6A , 6B, 6C and 6D are illustrative views each illustrating a process of movement to an upward direction of the wiper. -
FIGS. 7A , 7B, 7C, 7D, 7E and 7F are illustrative views each illustrating a process of movement to a downward direction of the wiper. -
FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion in the vicinity of the impact-absorbing portion of the wiper in a modified embodiment. -
FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion in the vicinity of the impact-absorbing portion of the wiper in another modified embodiment. -
FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion in the vicinity of the impact-absorbing portion of the wiper in still another modified embodiment. -
FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion in the vicinity of the impact-absorbing portion of the wiper in yet another modified embodiment. -
FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion in the vicinity of the impact-absorbing portion of the wiper in a further modified embodiment. -
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a groove provided in a contact portion of the impact-absorbing portion. -
FIGS. 14A and 14B are views each schematically showing a wiper holder including a pocket portion. - Next, an embodiment of the present teaching will be explained. In the present description, a frontward direction, a rearward direction, a left side (left direction), and a right side (right direction) in the plan view of
FIG. 1 are defined as the frontward direction, the rearward direction, the left side (left direction), and the right side (right direction), respectively. Further, a direction perpendicular to the paper surface ofFIG. 1 (upward and downward directions in the front view ofFIG. 2 ) is defined as the upward and downward directions. These definitions are appropriately used in the following description. InFIG. 2 , amaintenance base 20 which will be described later is depicted by two-dot lines so that an interior of themaintenance base 20 is illustrated. - As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2 , an ink jet printer 1 (liquid jetting apparatus) includes, for example, aplaten 2 on which a recording paper sheet P is placed, acarriage 3 which is configured to be reciprocatively movable in a scanning direction parallel to theplaten 2, an ink-jet head 4 (liquid droplet jetting head) which is carried on thecarriage 3, atransport mechanism 5 which transports the recording paper sheet P in a transport direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and amaintenance unit 6 which performs various maintenance operations to recover liquid jetting performance of the ink-jet head 4. - The recording paper sheet P supplied from an unillustrated paper feed mechanism is placed on an upper surface of the
platen 2. Twoguide rails FIG. 1 are provided over or above theplaten 2. Thecarriage 3 is configured to be reciprocatively movable in the scanning direction along the twoguide rails platen 2. Further, the twoguide rails FIG. 1 along the scanning direction from theplaten 2. Thecarriage 3 is constructed to be movable from an area (recording area) facing the recording paper sheet P on theplaten 2 to the maintenance position as a non-recording area. - Further, an
endless belt 14 wound and applied between twopulleys carriage 3. When theendless belt 14 is driven to travel by acarriage driving motor 15, thecarriage 3 is moved in the scanning direction in accordance with the travel of theendless belt 14. - The ink-
jet head 4 is attached to a lower portion of thecarriage 3. A plurality ofnozzles 16 are formed on the lower surface of theinkjet head 4 which is parallel to the upper surface of theplaten 2. That is, the lower surface of theink jet head 4 is an ink-jettingsurface 4 a (liquid jetting surface). Ink is jetted from the plurality ofnozzles 16 of theink jetting surface 4 a toward the recording paper sheet P placed on theplaten 2. - The
transport mechanism 5 has twotransport rollers platen 2 to interpose theplaten 2 in the transport direction. The recording paper sheet P, which is placed on theplaten 2, is transported in the transport direction (frontward direction as viewed inFIG. 1 ) by the twotransport rollers - The ink-
jet printer 1 jets the ink from the ink-jet head 4, which is reciprocatively moved in the scanning direction (left-right direction as shown inFIG. 1 ) together with thecarriage 3, with respect to the recording paper sheet P placed on theplaten 2, and at the same time, theink jet printer 1 transports the recording paper sheet P in the transport direction by the twotransport rollers ink jet printer 1 prints a desired image, letters, and the like, on the recording paper sheet P. - The
maintenance unit 6 executes a suction purge, in which the ink is sucked and discharged from thenozzles 16 to remove any foreign matters, bubbles, etc., mixed in theink jet head 4, and a wiping of the ink adhered on theink jetting surface 4 a. That is, themaintenance unit 6 is provided to recover and maintain the ink jetting performance of theink jet head 4. - The
maintenance unit 6 is disposed on a moving path in the scanning direction of thecarriage 3 at a position, which is separated from theplaten 2 toward the right side inFIG. 1 in the scanning direction. In other words, themaintenance unit 6 is arranged at a position at which the ink-jet head 4 faces the ink-jettingsurface 4 a when the ink-jet head 4 moves to the maintenance position as the non-recording area together with thecarriage 3. Themaintenance unit 6 is provided with amaintenance base 20, asuction cap 21 which makes contact with the ink-jettingsurface 4 a of the ink-jet head 4 to cover thenozzles 16, asuction pump 23 which is connected to thesuction cap 21, and awiper 70 which wipes the ink adhered on theink jetting surface 4 a after the suction purge, etc. - At first, the
suction cap 21 will be explained. Thesuction cap 21 is formed of a flexible material such as rubber or a synthetic resin. Thesuction cap 21 is installed to be movable in the upward and downward directions with respect to themaintenance base 20. Thesuction cap 21 is arranged to face theink jetting surface 4 a of theink jet head 4 in the case that theink jet head 4 is placed at the maintenance position. Thesuction cap 21 is driven upwardly by an unillustrated elevating motor in a state that thesuction cap 21 is opposed to theink jetting surface 4 a. Accordingly, thesuction cap 21 comes into close contact with theink jetting surface 4 a of theink jet head 4 to cover thenozzles 16. - When the
suction pump 23 is driven in the state that thesuction cap 21 is brought in tight contact with theink jetting surface 4 a to cover thenozzles 16, air in a closed space, which is defined by thesuction cap 21 and theink jetting surface 4 a, is sucked to reduce pressure. In this situation, the ink in theink jet head 4 is sucked and discharged (suction purge) from thenozzles 16 into thesuction cap 21. Accordingly, it is possible to discharge viscosity-increased ink in thenozzles 16 and the bubbles mixed in ink channels in theink jet head 4 from thenozzles 16 together with the ink. The suction purge is performed at a predetermined time intervals or after a timing at which the bubbles are more likely to be mixed in the ink channels in theink jet head 4, such as after an exchange of the cartridge. - Next, the
wiper 70 will be explained. As shown inFIG. 3 toFIG. 5 , it is appropriately defined in the following description that the transport direction is the X direction, the scanning direction is the Y direction, and the upward-downward direction is the Z direction. InFIG. 5 , in order to make the view easy to see, themaintenance base 20 is depicted by the two-dot lines. - As shown in
FIG. 1 toFIG. 3 , thewiper 70 is a flat plate-shaped member which is made of an extremely elastic material such as the rubber or the synthetic resin. The size of thewiper 70 in the transport direction (X direction) is not less than the width of theink jetting surface 4 a. Thewiper 70 is arranged to be parallel to the vertical direction. Further, thewiper 70 is disposed adjacently to thesuction cap 21 in the inside of themaintenance base 20 on a side closer to the printing area with respect to the scanning direction than thesuction cap 21. Thewiper 70 is installed to be movable in the upward and downward directions with respect to themaintenance base 20. Thewiper 70 is driven upwardly and downwardly between a wiping position at which thewiper 70 is brought in contact with theink jetting surface 4 a and a waiting position at which thewiper 70 and theink jetting surface 4 a are in a separated state, by awiper driving mechanism 65 provided in themaintenance base 20. - As shown in
FIG. 3 toFIG. 5 , thewiper 70 is held by awiper holder 71 which is made of a material having the high strength such as the synthetic resin. Thewiper holder 71 holds thewiper 70 from the side of the lower surface of thewiper 70. Tworecesses 72, which are arranged while providing spacing distances in the X direction (left and right directions ofFIG. 3 ), are formed in thewiper 70. Therecesses 72 are dented in the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction. Projections 73 (regulating members) which project downward are formed on opposite sides of each of therecesses 72 of thewiper holder 71. The projections 73 (regulating members) are inclined so that the thickness is gradually decreased (becomes thin) toward the front end. - Two impact-absorbing portions 74 (protruding portions), each of which projects from the lower surface of the
wiper 70 to a position lower than thewiper holder 71, are provided inwiper 70 at positions which are the same in the X direction as those of therecesses 72 of thewiper holder 71. Each of the impact-absorbingportions 74 is formed to have a width slightly smaller than the width of each of therecesses 72 in the X direction. Each of the impact-absorbingportions 74 includes aconnection portion 74 a which is arranged inside of each of therecesses 72, and acontact portion 74 b which is connected to the end portion of theconnection portion 74 a and makes contact with the front end (upper surface) of a rib 24 (stopper) provided in themaintenance base 20. - The width of the
rib 24 of themaintenance base 20 is formed to be smaller than the width of thecontact portion 74 b. Further, themaintenance base 20 includes a foam 81 (seeFIG. 5 ) which is made of a porous material etc., to absorb the ink adhered on thewiper 70. Thefoam 81 is arranged at a position at which the ink, which flows from thewiper 70 via therib 24, can be absorbed by thefoam 81. In this embodiment, thefoam 81 is connected to the forward end of aslope 25 a of a plate member 25 (seeFIG. 5 ) which supports therib 24 of themaintenance base 20. Thefoam 81 may be disposed at any position provided that the ink, which flows from thewiper 70 via therib 24, can be absorbed by thefoam 81. For example, thefoam 81 may be disposed at a position separated in the downward direction from the front end of theslope 25 a of theplate member 25. - A
gap 75, which has a width to such an extent that capillary force acts on the ink, is formed between theconnection portion 74 a disposed at therecess 72 of thewiper holder 71 and the twoprojections 73 disposed on the opposite sides of therecess 72 of thewiper holder 71. Further, a throughhole 76, which penetrates through thecontact portion 74 b in the Y direction, is formed in thecontact portion 74 b. A steppedportion 79 is formed on the side surface of thecontact portion 74 b as follows. That is, the steppedportion 79 communicates with thegap 75 formed by theconnection portion 74 a and theprojections 73 to detour around the throughhole 76, and reaches therib 24. A valley-shapededge 77 is formed by the corner of the steppedportion 79. The throughhole 76 is formed in thecontact portion 74 b at a position corresponding to the position immediately above therib 24. By doing so, athin portion 78 which is thin in the upward and downward directions (Z direction) is formed in thecontact portion 74 b at a position which overlaps in the upward and downward directions with therib 24. - Since the stepped
portion 79 is formed in thecontact portion 74 b, arecess 80 which is dented in the scanning direction (Y direction) is formed in the impact-absorbingportion 74. The front end of each of theprojections 73 of thewiper holder 71 is fitted into therecess 80. In other words, each of theprojections 73 of thewiper holder 71 faces thecontact portion 74 b in the scanning direction and the transport direction. In this construction, the back surface of theconnection portion 74 a (the back side of the page ofFIG. 3 ) is brought into surface contact with thewiper holder 71 and the surface of the steppedportion 79 of theconnection portion 74 b (the front side of the page ofFIG. 3 ) is brought into surface contact with the each of theprojections 73 of thewiper holder 71. Accordingly, the impact-absorbingportion 74 is sandwiched by thewiper holder 71 from both sides in the Y direction. - Further, a
groove 24 a, which communicates with the valley-shapededge 77 of thecontact portion 74 b to reach thefoam 81, is formed in the upward and downward directions in therib 24. With thisgroove 24 a, the ink which is adhered on thewiper 70 at the time of the wiping of theink jetting surface 4 a is more likely to be pulled, due to the capillary force, into thegap 75 formed by the tworecesses 73 and theconnection portion 74 a disposed at therecess 72. Further, the ink pulled into thegap 75 is moved along the valley-shapededge 77 formed in thecontact portion 74 b due to the capillary force. Accordingly, it is possible to remove the ink adhered on the wiper. The ink flowing from thewiper 70 via the valley-shapededge 77 of thecontact portion 74 b further flows on a side of therib 24 along thegroove 24 a communicating with the valley-shapededge 77, and then flows into thefoam 81. It is noted that a space of thegap 75 is approximately 0.5 mm and the width of thegroove 24 a is approximately 0.5 mm. Further, a gap between thewiper 70 and thewiper holder 71 is approximately 0.2 mm. The dimensions described above are merely examples, and the present teaching is not limited thereto. - As shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4 , thewiper driving mechanism 65 includes asupport plate 63 which makes contact with a side surface of thewiper 70 on the side of the printing area to support thewiper 70, atension spring 64 which connects thewiper 70 with thesupport plate 63, acam follower 68 which can make contact with the bottom surface of thewiper holder 71, and arotary cam 69 having a cam surface which makes contact with thecam follower 68. - The
support plate 63 is formed to have a width which is approximately same as that of thewiper 70 in the X direction. Thesupport plate 63 is firmly provided to themaintenance base 20 and contacts with a substantially lower half portion of the surface of thewiper 70 on the side of the printing area. Thetension spring 64 connects both end portions of thewiper 70 to both end portions of thesupport plate 63 in the transport direction, respectively. One end portion of thetension spring 64 is connected to the substantial center portion of thewiper 70 in a height direction (Z direction), and the other end portion of thetension spring 64 is connected to thesupport plate 63. The other end portion of thetension spring 64 is arranged at thesupport plate 63 on a lower side of thewiper 70 in the height direction as compared with the one end portion connected to thewiper 70. Thetension spring 64 urges or biases thewiper 70 with respect to thesupport plate 63 in the left lower direction ofFIG. 4 . Thecam follower 68 is constructed to be movable in the upward and downward directions along the cam surface by the rotation of therotary cam 69. The upper surface of thecam follower 68 can make contact with the lower surface of thewiper holder 71. Thecam follower 68 moves thewiper 70 between the wiping position and the waiting position. - Next, an explanation will be made about a process of movement of the
wiper 70 in the upward and downward directions. At first, the process of movement of thewiper 70 in the upward direction will be explained. As shown inFIGS. 6A and 6B , when thewiper 70 is located at the waiting position, thecontact portion 74 b of the impact-absorbingportion 74 is pulled downward by the biasing force of thetension spring 64 to make contact with therib 24. Thecam follower 68 does not make contact with thewiper holder 71. - As shown in
FIGS. 6C and 6D , when therotary cam 69 is rotated to move thecam follower 68 in the upward direction, thecam follower 68 makes contact with thewiper holder 71 to push thewiper holder 71 andwiper 70 upwardly against the basing force of thetension spring 64. When a protruded-shape engaging portion 61, which is formed on the surface of thewiper 70 on the side of the printing area at the substantially center portion in the upward and downward directions, is moved upwardly as compared with the upper surface of thesupport plate 63, thewiper 70 is pulled toward thesupport plate 63 by the biasing force of thetension spring 64 to incline in the counterclockwise direction ofFIGS. 6C and 6D , with the base end contacting with thesupport plate 63 as the center. - Thereafter, the
cam follower 68 is moved away from thewiper holder 71 by rotating therotary cam 69 to move thecam follower 68 downwardly in a state that the engagingportion 61 of thewiper 70 and thesupport plate 63 are overlapped in the upward and downward directions with each other. In this situation, the engagingportion 61 of thewiper 70 is brought in contact with the upper surface of thesupport plate 63 to regulate the movement of thewiper 70 to the downward direction. At this height position, the front end of thewiper 70 can contact with theink jetting surface 4 a. Accordingly, thewiper 70 is positioned at the wiping position at which thewiper 70 can contact with theink jetting surface 4 a. - Next, an explanation will be made about the process of movement of the
wiper 70 to the downward direction. As shown inFIGS. 7A and 7B , in a state that thewiper 70 is located at the wiping position, theink jet head 4 is moved in the scanning direction toward the printing area together with thecarriage 3 after the suction purge. In this situation, thewiper 70 moves, relative to theink jetting surface 4 a, in a direction (wiping direction) from the left side to the right side inFIGS. 7A and 7B . Thewiper 70 is bent by being brought in contact with theink jetting surface 4 a of theink jet head 4. When theink jet head 4 moves in a direction (direction opposite to the wiping direction) from the right side to the left side inFIGS. 7A and 7B , thewiper 70 wipes theink jetting surface 4 a in the wiping direction to wipe the ink adhered on theink jetting surface 4 a. - As shown in
FIGS. 7C and 7D , theink jet head 4 is moved, together with thecarriage 3, in an opposite direction opposite to the direction described above. That is, theink jet head 4 is moved toward the side of thesuction cap 21 in the scanning direction so as to bring theink jet head 4 back to the maintenance position. In this situation, thewiper 70 moves, relative to theink jetting surface 4 a, in the direction opposite to the wiping direction. Then, thewiper 70 in the bent state inclines in the clockwise direction ofFIGS. 7C and 7D , with the end portion on the lower side ofFIGS. 7C and 7D as an axis. When the contact between the engagingportion 61 of thewiper 70 and thesupport plate 63 is released, thewiper 70 slidably moves in the downward direction by the biasing force of thetension spring 64, in a state that the engagingportion 61 and the base end of thewiper 70 are brought in contact with thesupport plate 63. That is, thewiper 70 moves toward a retract position disposed below while moving, relative to theink jetting surface 4 a, in the direction opposite to the wiping direction. - Then, the
contact portion 74 b of the impact-absorbingportion 74 is pulled by the biasing force of thetension spring 64 in the downward direction to make contact with therib 24. As shown inFIGS. 7E and 7F , thewiper 70 is separated from theink jetting surface 4 a while returning to the original form to move to the waiting position. Then, the wiping operation is completed. In the above description, an explanation will be made about the process of movement of thewiper 70 from the wiping position to the waiting position according to the movement of theink jet head 4 in the scanning direction. Since the process of the movement of thewiper 70 from the wiping position to the waiting position by thewiper driving mechanism 65 has been publicly known, any explanation of which will be omitted. - According to the
ink jet printer 1 in this embodiment, when thewiper 70 which wiped theink jetting surface 4 a is moved away from theink jetting surface 4 a to make contact with therib 24 of themaintenance base 20, thewiper 70 does not directly collide with therib 24, but at first collides with the impact-absorbing portion 74 (thethin portion 78 of thecontact portion 74 b). After that, thewiper 70 makes contact with therib 24 via the impact-absorbingportion 74. Accordingly, the impact of thewiper 70 is absorbed into the impact-absorbingportion 74. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the vibration of thewiper 70 generated when thewiper 70 makes contact with therib 24. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink adhered on thewiper 70 from being scattered to the surroundings. - Further, the
wiper 70 is made of the elastic material, and the impact-absorbingportion 74 is configured integrally with thewiper 70. In this construction, it is possible to absorb the impact to therib 24 caused by thewiper 70 by using the impact-absorbingportion 74, which is made of the elastic material and is configured integrally with thewiper 70. Thus, it is not necessary to form the impact-absorbingportion 74 as a member independently of thewiper 70. Further, there is no fear that the impact-absorbingportion 74 is removed or detached, due to the impact, from thewiper 70, as compared with the case in which the impact-absorbingportion 74 is formed as the member independently of thewiper 70. - Further, an entire surface of an end surface of the
wiper 70 is not brought in contact with therib 24, but the impact-absorbingportion 74 which protrudes from a part of the end surface of thewiper 70 is brought in contact with therib 24. Accordingly, rigidity of the impact-absorbingportion 74 becomes small and thereby making it possible to further suppress the vibration of thewiper 70 generated when thewiper 70 makes contact with therib 24. Thus, it is possible to absorb the greater impact. - In addition, in the impact-absorbing
portion 74, the throughhole 76 penetrating in the X direction is formed and thereby thethin portion 78 is provided. Accordingly, the rigidity of the impact-absorbingportion 74 becomes small to further suppress the vibration of thewiper 70, and it is possible to absorb the greater impact. Further, therib 24 having the small width is brought in contact with the impact-absorbingportion 74 at the position which overlaps in the upward and downward directions with the throughhole 76 of the impact-absorbingportion 74. Therefore, it is possible to make the impact-absorbingportion 74 be deformed easily. - Since each of the
projections 73 of thewiper holder 71 regulates the bend of the impact-absorbingportion 74 in the X and Y directions, the impact-absorbingportion 74 can be extensible/contractible only in the upward and downward directions. Thus, when thewiper 70 is moved to the waiting position from the wiping position, the impact-absorbingportion 74 which collided with therib 24 can be compressed reliably without being bent. Therefore, the vibration of thewiper 70 can be further suppressed and the greater impact can be absorbed. It is noted that it is possible to change Young's modulus of the impact-absorbingportion 74 by changing the material used to form the impact-absorbingportion 74 and it is possible to change the thickness of thethin portion 78 by changing the size of the throughhole 76 in the upward and downward directions and/or the height position at which the throughhole 76 is formed. As described above, it is possible to appropriately set a degree of the impact caused by thewiper 70 which can be absorbed by the impact-absorbingportion 74. - Each of the
projections 73 which regulates bending of the impact-absorbingportion 74 is configured integrally with thewiper holder 71. Therefore, if thewiper holder 71 is accurately positioned with respect to thewiper 70, each of theprojections 73 is also accurately positioned with respect to thewiper 70. Accordingly, it is possible to fit each of theprojections 73 into therecess 80 and it is possible to regulate the bend of the impact-absorbingportion 74 reliably. Further, it is possible to regulate that thewiper 70 configured integrally with the impact-absorbingportion 74 moves in a direction away from therib 24 with respect to each of theprojections 73. Accordingly, each of theprojections 73 is less likely to be removed or detached and a position deviation thereof is less likely to occur. - Next, modified embodiments in which various modifications are made in the embodiment will be described below. However, the constitutive parts or components, which are the same as or equivalent to those of the embodiment described above, are designated by the same reference numerals, any explanation of which will be omitted as appropriate.
- In this embodiment, the impact-absorbing
portion 74 is configured integrally with thewiper 70. However, the impact-absorbingportion 74 may be formed by a member independently of thewiper 70. Hereinbelow, an example thereof will be described below. - For example, as shown in
FIG. 8 , an impact-absorbingmember 174 may be formed by an elastic member which is different from thewiper 70. In this construction, the elastic material of the impact-absorbingmember 174 may be the same as that of thewiper 70, or the elastic material of the impact-absorbingmember 174 may differ from that of thewiper 70 in the Young's modulus. Further, as shown inFIG. 9 , an impact-absorbingmember 274 may be formed by a porous member such as a sponge. Further, as shown inFIG. 10 , an impact-absorbingportion 374 may be a spring which is arranged to be extensible/contractible in the upward and downward directions. It is noted that each of the impact-absorbingportions - Further, in this embodiment, the impact-absorbing
member 74 protrudes from the part of the lower surface of thewiper 70. However, as shown inFIG. 11 , an entire surface of alower surface 470 a of awiper 470 may be the impact-absorbing portion. In this construction, thewiper holder 471 is attached to the side surface of thewiper 470. Then, a part of thelower surface 470 a of thewiper 470 is brought in contact with arib 424. - In the embodiment and modified embodiments, each of the impact-absorbing
portions FIG. 12 , it is allowable that an impact-absorbingportion 574 is arranged in arib 524 so that the wiper comes into direct contact with the rib. - In the embodiment, the impact-absorbing
portion 74 is brought in contact with therib 24, which has the small width and is provided in themaintenance base 20, to absorb the impact locally. However, the present teaching is not limited thereto. For example, it is allowable that the impact-absorbingportion 74 is brought in contact with a flat surface provided in themaintenance base 20 without providing therib 24. - In the embodiment, the capillary force acts on the ink by providing the stepped
portion 79 in thecontact portion 74 b of the impact-absorbingportion 74 to form the valley-shapededge 77. However, the present teaching is not limited thereto. For example, as shown inFIG. 13 , it is allowable that the capillary force acts on the ink by forming agroove 84 on a side surface and a bottom surface of thecontact portion 74 b of the impact-absorbingportion 74. Thegroove 84 is desirably formed to communicate with thegroove 24 a when thecontact portion 74 b of the impact-absorbingportion 74 makes contact with therib 24. - In the embodiment, the
wiper 70 is moved downwardly by the biasing force of thetension spring 64 to make contact with therib 24. However, the present teaching is not limited thereto. For example, any biasing mechanism which biases thewiper 70 downwardly may be provided instead of thetension spring 64. For example, a pair of magnets (or electromagnets) may be used instead of thetension spring 64 to bias thewiper 70 downwardly by the magnetic force. Or, the following configuration is allowable. That is, thewiper 70 is fallen by the self-weight to make contact with therib 24 without providing the biasing mechanism by which thewiper 70 is moved downwardly, such as thetension spring 64. - In the embodiment, the through
hole 76 penetrating in the scanning direction is formed in thecontact portion 74 b of the impact-absorbingportion 74. However, the through hole may be formed by penetrating in any direction, such as the transport direction, without being limited to the scanning direction, provided that thethin portion 78 which is thin in the upward and downward directions can be formed. - In this embodiment, as shown in
FIG. 5 , thewiper holder 71 is formed to make contact only with the surface of thewiper 70 on one side in the scanning direction (surface on the side opposite to the paper surface ofFIGS. 6A to 6D ). However, the present teaching is not limited thereto. For example, as shown inFIGS. 14A and 14B , the following configuration is allowable. That is, there is formed apocket portion 171 a, which is formed into an approximate U shape in a cross-sectional view, on the lower side of thewiper holder 171. Thewiper 70 is inserted into thepocket portion 171 a. In this case, since thepocket portion 171 a is formed in thewiper holder 171, thewiper holder 171 is capable of supporting thewiper 70 so that thewiper holder 171 is brought in contact with the surfaces on the both sides of thewiper 70 in the scanning direction. With this configuration, it is possible to support thewiper 70 more reliably as compared with thewiper holder 71. Further, a gap to such an extent that the capillary force acts on the ink is formed between thepocket portion 171 a and thewiper 70. Thus, the ink adhered on thewiper 70 at the time of the wiping operation of thewiper 70 may pass through the gap between thepocket portion 171 a and thewiper 70, and may further pass through thegap 75 formed by the twoprojections 73 and theconnection portion 74 a. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably move the ink adhered on thewiper 70 at the time of the wiping operation of thewiper 70 toward thefoam 81. - In the embodiment, as to the timing at which the wiping operation to wipe the
ink jetting surface 4 a by thewiper 70 is performed, the explanation is made about the case in which the wiping operation is performed after the suction purge in which the ink is sucked and discharged from thenozzles 16. However, the wiping operation may be performed at any timing. For example, the wiping operation may be performed in a case that the printing operations are performed a plurality of times and thereby a part of the ink discharged from thenozzles 16 is more likely to be adhered on theink jetting surface 4 a. - In the embodiment, the
wiper 70 is moved, relative to theink jetting surface 4 a, in the wiping direction parallel to the scanning direction, by utilizing the movement of the serial-typeink jet head 4 in the scanning direction. However, the present teaching is not limited thereto. For example, the present teaching is applicable to the line-type ink jet head. In this case, a moving mechanism to move thewiper 70 in the wiping direction may be provided to move thewiper 70, relative to theink jetting surface 4 a, in the wiping direction. - The embodiment and the modified embodiments thereof explained above are examples in which the present teaching is applied to the ink-jet printer for recording, for example, the image by jetting the ink to the recording paper sheet P. However, the application objective of the present teaching is not limited to the ink-jet printer as described above. The liquid to be jetted is not necessarily limited to the ink, and the present teaching is applicable to any liquid jetting apparatuses usable in various technical fields.
Claims (13)
1. A liquid jetting apparatus which jets liquid, comprising:
a liquid jetting head which has a liquid jetting surface on which a plurality of nozzles are open to jet the liquid;
a wiper which moves, relative to the liquid jetting surface, in a wiping direction along the liquid jetting surface, while being brought in contact with the liquid jetting surface, to wipe the liquid adhered on the liquid jetting surface;
a wiper moving mechanism which moves the wiper in a moving direction orthogonal to the liquid jetting surface to approach to or separate from the ink jetting surface;
a stopper which makes contact with the wiper which is separated from the ink-jetting surface in the moving direction; and
an impact-absorbing member which is formed in the wiper or the stopper to absorb an impact generated by a collision between the wiper and the stopper.
2. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a biasing mechanism which biases the wiper toward the stopper.
3. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the wiper is formed of an elastic material; and
the impact-absorbing member is formed integrally with the wiper.
4. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a protruding portion is formed in an end surface of the wiper to protrude from the end surface of the wiper; and
the protruding portion of the wiper makes contact with the stopper as the impact-absorbing member.
5. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the protruding portion of the wiper has a side portion and a contact portion which is different from the side portion and which makes contact with the stopper,
the liquid jetting apparatus further comprising a regulating member which makes contact with the side portion of the protruding portion and which regulates bending of the protruding portion generated in a case that the protruding portion makes contact with the stopper.
6. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a wiper holder which holds the wiper, wherein the regulating members are formed integrally with the wiper holder.
7. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the protruding portion has a contact portion which makes contact with the stopper, and a connection portion which connects the wiper with the contact portion, which has a width which is smaller than that of the contact portion, and which has a shape to be recessed with respect to the wiper and the contact portion,
the liquid jetting apparatus further comprising regulating member which is arranged to sandwich the connection portion and which regulates bending of the protruding portion generated in a case that the protruding portion makes contact with the stopper.
8. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the impact-absorbing member is formed of an elastic material; and
a hole which penetrates in the wiping direction is formed in the impact-absorbing member.
9. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a stepped portion or a recess portion is formed to extend, in a side portion of the impact-absorbing member which is different from a contact portion of the impact-absorbing member which makes contact with the stopper, toward the contact portion; and a valley-shaped edge is formed by the stepped portion or the recess portion on the side portion of the impact-absorbing member.
10. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein a groove which communicates with the valley-shaped edge of the impact-absorbing member is formed in the stopper.
11. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the regulating members and the connection portion are arranged to form a gap therebetween.
12. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the gap is formed to have a width which is enough narrow to exert a capillary force on the liquid entered in the gap.
13. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a stepped portion or a recess portion is formed to extend, in a side portion of the impact-absorbing member which is different from a contact portion making contact with the stopper, toward an end portion of the impact-absorbing member which makes contact with the stopper,
a valley-shaped edge is formed by the stepped portion or the recess portion on the side portion of the impact-absorbing member,
a groove which communicates with the valley-shaped edge of the impact-absorbing member is formed in the stopper, and
the gap, the valley-shaped edge and the groove are communicate with each other to form a liquid passage through which the liquid adhered to the wiper flows.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/944,948 USRE46963E1 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2015-11-18 | Liquid jetting apparatus |
US16/041,885 USRE48390E1 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2018-07-23 | Liquid jetting apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2011141461A JP5828231B2 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2011-06-27 | Liquid ejector |
JP2011-141461 | 2011-06-27 |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/944,948 Continuation USRE46963E1 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2015-11-18 | Liquid jetting apparatus |
Related Child Applications (2)
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US14/944,948 Reissue USRE46963E1 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2015-11-18 | Liquid jetting apparatus |
US16/041,885 Reissue USRE48390E1 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2018-07-23 | Liquid jetting apparatus |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20120327159A1 true US20120327159A1 (en) | 2012-12-27 |
US8585177B2 US8585177B2 (en) | 2013-11-19 |
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Family Applications (3)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US13/424,434 Ceased US8585177B2 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2012-03-20 | Liquid jetting apparatus |
US14/944,948 Active USRE46963E1 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2015-11-18 | Liquid jetting apparatus |
US16/041,885 Active USRE48390E1 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2018-07-23 | Liquid jetting apparatus |
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US14/944,948 Active USRE46963E1 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2015-11-18 | Liquid jetting apparatus |
US16/041,885 Active USRE48390E1 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2018-07-23 | Liquid jetting apparatus |
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Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20160114585A1 (en) * | 2014-10-28 | 2016-04-28 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Printer |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP6582490B2 (en) * | 2015-03-31 | 2019-10-02 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | Liquid ejection device |
JP6394467B2 (en) * | 2015-03-31 | 2018-09-26 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | Liquid ejection device |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP5828231B2 (en) | 2015-12-02 |
USRE46963E1 (en) | 2018-07-24 |
JP2013006376A (en) | 2013-01-10 |
USRE48390E1 (en) | 2021-01-12 |
US8585177B2 (en) | 2013-11-19 |
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